The reactivity between various aldehydes and sulfidic compounds (H2S, mercaptans, etc.) has been known in the art for some time. For example, Marks in U.S. Pat. No. 1,991,765 discloses a method of reacting hydrogen sulfide and an aldehyde in an aqueous solution having a pH between 2 and 12 at a temperature between substantially 20° C. and 100° C. After Marks' disclosure in 1935, many patents appeared disclosing the use of aldehydes during acid cleaning of iron sulfide deposits, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,606,873; 3,514,410; 3,585,069; 3,669,613; 4,220,550; 4,289,639; and 4,310,435. Consumption of the hydrogen sulfide liberated by acidification of sulfide-containing deposits increased the safety of such operations. Decreased corrosivity of the aldehyde-containing acids is also disclosed in the prior art, sometimes with the addition of ancillary corrosion inhibitors.
Menaul in U.S. Pat. No. 2,426,318 discloses a method of inhibiting the corrosive action of natural gas and oil containing soluble sulfides on metals by utilizing an aldehyde and preferably formaldehyde.
Roehm in U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,852 discloses a process for deodorizing and reducing the biochemical demand of an aqueous solution which contains at least one compound of hydrogen sulfide and compounds containing the —SH group. Roehm's process comprises mixing the solution with a sulfide-active alpha, beta unsaturated aldehyde or ketone in an amount sufficient to form sulfur-containing reaction product of the sulfide active aldehyde or ketone. Two such sulfide-active compounds disclosed by Roehm are acrolein and 3-buten-2-one.
Formaldehyde, formaldehyde with SO3−2, and acrolein are all commercially used hydrogen sulfide (H2S) scavengers. However, formaldehyde produces a solid reaction product and reverts readily to formaldehyde and free H2S. Acrolein is more expensive than formaldehyde as well as extremely toxic and dangerous to handle. The use of SO3−2 with formaldehyde eliminates the re-release of H2S but not solids formation.
Despite the prior art approaches to H2S scavenging, the provision of a product that can prevent the H2S formation microbiologically (rather than removal of H2S after it is formed) is highly desirable since it is a more effective way of controlling H2S odor and preventing corrosion and related problems. Existing H2S prevention methods that include utilizing biocides to kill microbes such as Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRBs) are non-selective and will kill other microorganisms, and may be detrimental to the wastewater remediation processes. These concerns are effectively negated by the utilization of the hydrogen sulfide prevention methods of the present invention, often combined with a H2S scavenging component chemical.